Employers shouldn't believe what they read on Facebook

Don't believe a prospective employees facebook profile

The majority of prospective job candidates change their social media profiles and edit out the the unflattering pictures and improve their career prospects before an interview, according to a new survey by recruitment business Hays.

In a survey of over 770 people, more than half (55%) of respondents admitted to changing their privacy settings when job searching, to make sure that personal information does not influence their chances of success in finding a new job.

Going one step further, one in ten of those surveyed admitted editing content and untagging photos of themselves posted online when looking for a job.

Mark Sheldon, Regional Managing Director at Hays says: "While no employer should make a hiring decision based entirely on what they see online, it's now extremely easy for an employer to find out an incredible amount of personal detail with just a quick search."

While more than half alter their Facebook profiles there are still a significant number of prospective job candidates who make no effort whatsoever to edit out those dodgy moments on holiday, and the quotes about avoiding work because they're too hungover. The survey found that more than a third (36%) did not think an employer would look at their profiles, and so made no changes to their social media habits when looking for a new job.